David West and Aaron Gray opt out of their contracts with the New Orleans Hornets

Last Wednesday, the day before the NBA draft, Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said he envisioned the team having five to seven roster spots open next year.

Michael DeMocker, The Times-Picayune archiveNew Orleans Hornets power forward David West (30) works against Boston Celtics center Nenad Krstic (4) at the New Orleans Arena on March 19.

At the close of business Monday, New Orleans had five players under contract, with a roster maximum of 15.

Hornets power forward David West, the senior member of the team who joined in 2003 as a first-round draft choice, confirmed he was opting out of the last year of his contract, walking away from $7.5 million to test the free-agent market whenever that signing period might begin.

Hours later, backup center Aaron Gray informed the team he was opting out of the last year of his deal, leaving $1.124 million on the table as he tests free agency.

West, a two-time NBA All-Star who will turn 31 on Aug. 29, is recovering from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on April 12, an injury sustained in a game at Utah on March 24.

He had until Thursday to make up his mind to return or opt out, but his agent, Lance Young, informed Demps of the decision Friday afternoon.

“We just felt like this is the best thing for me, to go forward — and I made the decision based on where I was since the knee (surgery) and all those things, and I felt like it was the right time for me to make a good decision,” said West, who added it had been his intention even before the injury to opt out and see what his value might be on the open market.

While the Hornets this past season had offered West a three-year extension worth $26 million — the maximum which they were allowed under the current collective bargaining agreement that expires at midnight Thursday — West said his decision to become a free agent didn’t mean he was closing the door on re-signing with New Orleans.

“Definitely not, definitely not,” West said. “... We’ll have to talk to them, obviously, and see where Dell is. The Hornets have an opportunity, but I’m looking for an opportunity to win, honestly. We’ll see how things work out and what the Hornets do to make our situation better. That’s really all it came down to. At this point in my career, I want to win, and I want to win big.”

Realistically, neither the Hornets nor any other team will be able to pursue West’s talents until a new CBA is in place. NBA owners are expected to lock out the players beginning Friday upon expiration of the current labor agreement.

West said he informed his longtime teammate and fellow co-captain Chris Paul of his decision while Paul was vacationing in the Dominican Republic.

“D. West is like a brother to me, and I respect the fact that he made a decision that he believes is in the best interests of himself and his family,” Paul said in a text message.

Paul can opt out of the final year of his contract after next season. Last summer, he was vocally unhappy with the team’s direction and said he would be open to a trade, saying the primary goal of his career was winning. Paul, however, has never formally requested a trade. He didn’t respond to a follow-up text asking how West’s decision might affect his future in New Orleans.

If a new CBA can be reached, Paul would be eligible to sign a contract extension on July 9, the anniversary date of the extension he signed in 2008.

Demps issued a statement Monday morning — declining later to expand beyond it — reiterating the team’s desire to keep West in a New Orleans uniform for the rest of his career.

“David has been a tremendous player and person for us on and off the court during his eight years with the Hornets,” Demps said in the statement. “We have had open communications with David this entire season about his option and knew with either decision that our intention is to pursue David, so he can finish his career as a Hornet.”

Hornets Coach Monty Williams said he understands West’s local notoriety might influence public opinion on his decision.

“This is his choice,” Williams said. “I’m pretty sure it’s a big deal in New Orleans because it’s David, but he earned the right to be in this position. People want to make more of this than it really is. Nobody can control that, but he’s doing what he thinks is best for him. That, to me, is part of the process.”

Young said Monday the Hornets’ financial hands were tied by the constraints of the current CBA when it came to how much they could offer West in an extension.

“Dell was always trying to get very creative,” Young said. “The problem was he could only go up a certain amount from the last year on an extension, so it was kind of tough to get to the numbers we wanted to do an extension. It was almost impossible to do that. We had to tell him, ‘Look, we’re going to opt out, and we can talk about it once the free-agency market opens, talk about re-signing.

“As of right now, it wasn’t going to work. (West’s) first (major) contract was front-loaded. But that’s kind of how we did it, assuming that this $7.5 million player option was basically an insurance policy if something was to happen. He always kind of assumed he’d be playing out of this contract. That’s the max they could have paid him in doing an extension with the number being $7.5 (million) with increases under the current collective bargaining agreement. The most they could have paid him was three years, $26 million. We felt we could do a little better than that.”

West’s decision constitutes a gamble on his part. He’s coming off the first major injury of his career, and even though a recent two-month re-examination of his knee by Dr. David Altchek, who performed the knee reconstruction, indicated West is ahead of schedule in a rehab process that customarily takes six to eight months, there’s uncertainty surrounding the shape of a new CBA regarding salaries and a new economic system that the NBA hopes to implement.

Nonetheless, West’s opt-out makes him the No. 1 available power forward on the unrestricted free agent market, along with players such as Denver’s Kenyon Martin, Boston’s Glen Davis and Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko.

Also on that list of available power forwards is Carl Landry, whom the Hornets acquired from Sacramento at the trade deadline last season. Landry stepped into the starting role in West’s absence and filled in well, though his scoring and rebounding averages (11.8 points, 4.1 rebounds) didn’t approach West’s (18.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg) at the time of West’s injury.

Landry didn’t return a telephone call seeking comment.

Gray, a 7-foot backup center, played well in the postseason against the Los Angeles Lakers, especially in New Orleans’ win in Game 1 at the Staples Center. He scored 12 points, making all five of his shots. Gray, however, sprained his ankle near the end of the game, which limited his effectiveness the rest of the series.

“I think he really enjoyed being with New Orleans, (but) the opportunity to come free made it a good time to explore the market for him,” said Jason Zanik, one of Gray’s representatives.